Lasting apparatus.



J. A. ELDRIDGE.

LASTING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2, 1911.

Patentd Sept. 15, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

I/ I .15, w W

J. A. ELDRIDGE.

LASTING APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION. IILBD-NOV. 2, 1911.

1,110,315. Patented .15;1914.

21111 SHEET 2.

1 f l O w I a 1 IA I l 66 O o zoo W W l 04111434 141. 3

UNITED STATES PATENT o1 FICE.

JOHN a. ELDRIDGE, or ACTON, mama, Assrenon I'D-UNITED snot: MACHINERY conr- PANY, or PATERSON, NEW JERSEY,-A oonroaa'rrolv or NEW JERSEY.-

- LAs'rIivG APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent, Patented Sept. 15, 1914. Application filed November 2, 1911. Serial No. 653,155.

Maine, have invented certain Improvements in Lasting Apparatus, of which the follow-- ing description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to apparatus for making shoes and is herein shown as embodied in mechanism one use for which is found to be in lasting shoes of that type in which a welt is secured to the marginal portion of the upper and to the outsole without necessarily being also attached to the insole, as distinguishedfrom shoes rnade according to the Goodyear welt system, an essential feature of which I understand to be that the welt and upper are both attached to the insole. The invention is in many important respects, however, applicable also to the manufacture of Goodyear welt shoes, the outer edge of the welt being, in each case, attached to the outsole.

In making shoes of this type, it has previously been the custom to sew the welt along the margin of the upper before the upper is placed upon the last and then, after the welt has'been attached, to place the upper upon the last and draw over the margin of the upper with its attached welt, either by means of wipers adapted to engage in the welt crease and force the upper in over the last, or by the use of a ligature located in the welt crease and means for tightening the ligature to draw the upper into lasted position.

It is well understood in the shoe making art that shoe upper leather, as it comes from the skin and before it has been subjected to any tcnsioning, possesses a certain amount of stretch which must be taken out in the manufacture of the shoe. Advantage is taken of this extensible nature of upper leather by first drafting the upper into conformity with the general lines of the last and then completing the work of taking out the stretch by detail manipulation of the draftedupper. The first operation is lgiown as pulling-over and the second as lasting, and 1t is by this procedure that, a shoe is made not only to conform smoothly to the shape of the last while the last is in it, but to retain that shape after the last has been wlthdrawn and during the subsequent'wearng of the shoe. The amount of stretch whlch can be taken from the leather by moderate tensioningvaries greatly in different skins and in different portions of the same skin, and even different portions of the vamp and quarters which constitute a shoe upper will give to unequalextents when subjected to the same tensioning stra n.

It will be observed that in the old method of making this class of shoes, as above outlined, no attempt was made .to remove the stretch from the upper prior to the attachmerit of the welt thereto, but that the action of the wipers or'ligature is depended upon entirely to place the upper under lastupper when thus tensioned will inevitably stretch unequally, the margin laid over upon the bottom of the last will be forced in over the edge to unequal distances, so that the welt seam will not beuniformly positioned with respect to the edge of the last, or, if

"ing tension. As diflerent'portions of the an attempt is made to position the welt seam uniformly with respect to the edge of the last the upper will not have. the stretch V removed will soon become misshapen by reason of the unequal resistance to stretching offered by different portions of the upper,

The object of the present invention is to provide improved apparatus by which better lasting can be obtained than heretofore. This apparatus in its preferred form comfrom it and the shoe when worn.

prises, in addition to a support for a last With the upper materials and an innersole assembled thereon, a clamp or wiper by which the upper may be held preparatory to lasting at the toe after having been pulled or drafted lengthwise by hand pincers or otherwise, and also clamps or wipers by which the upper may be'held preparatory to lasting at each side of the shoe after having been pulled or drafted transversely of the shoe. -Preferably the clamps or wipers are of substantial length and as herein shown they are formed or arranged to engage a continuous section of upper that extends around the toe ofthe shoe from one side of the ball to the other. Advantageously the plates which constitutethe side clamps or wipers may be pivotally connected with the plate which .constitutes the toe wiper or clamp. As herein shown, the side plates extend to the heel-seat of the shoe and confine the upper along the side and shank of the shoe. As I am advised, it is new by this invention to provide clamps for holding an upper in pulled-over position, as described, without the use of tacks or the like. It is also new to provide clamps for the purpose proposed that hold a continuous section of the upper around the toe from one side to the other. j

In accordance with a further feature of this invention, the clamps which are shaped to correspond with the curvature of the last bottom are made to press yieldingly downwardly upon the shoe stock. In the contemplated use of the apparatus, these clamps allow the upper, after having been pulled over by drafting it lengthwise and transversely and positioning it correctly on the last, tobe pulled in detail under the clamps to conform it fully to the contour of the last and take out the rest of the stretch, thereby working it into lasted condition and its margin into lasted position upon the shoe bottom. Preferably the clamps have downwardly inclined edges at their inner sides to adapt them better for holding the upper in tensioned condition. 'Means is provided foractuating the clamps inwardly over the shoe bottom and their downwardly inclined edges adapt them to act effectively in gathering or drawin .inwardly theupper particularly in combination with provisions for yieldingly pressing them downwardly.

While the portions of my apparatus above I described may be used with an ordinary last,

I prefer to employ as an element of my lasting mechanism. acollapsible last which can be expanded within the shoe after the upper is lasted over the shoe bottom and fastened. For this purpose I have used a last having its instep portion hinged at a point near the toe to permit movement of this portion in a plane perpendicular to the sole to stretch the upper of the instep portion of the shoe. By the operation of lasting the upper with the last in collapsed or contracted position the upper is placed under what may be termed a preliminary tension. While in this condition the welt is sewed to the margin of the upper projecting inwardly beyond the wiper plates. In sewing on the welt the inner edge of the wiper plates may be used as a guide, the width of the plates being such as properly and uniformly to space the welt seam from the edge ofthc last. After the operation of sewing on the welt is completed, the last is expanded and the upper thereby subjected to a further or final tensioning in which the upper is drawn back under the wipers and the welt seam is pressed against'the edge of. the wipers, now positioned in the welt crease, which therefore serve as holders to restrict backdraw of the upper, and as formers to shape the welt crease.

I consider that it is an important feature of my invention to hold the rear ends of the 'wiper plates resiliently down against the shoe bottom so that they act more effectively as clamping plates for holding the upper in position upon the last as well as wiping plates for wiping it into position, and this two-fold function of the plates should be borne in mind. though they may be hereinafter referred to simply as wiper plates. The mechanism for this purpose comprises supports consisting of telescopic members which are held in retracted position by springs and act to hold the rear portions of the wiper plates resiliently against the last. The telescopic members are pivoted to the wiper plates at one end and to aportion of the wiper support at the other. Sleeves embrace the telescopic members and arms are attached to the sleeves and to a support so that movement of the arms will swing the I ends of the wiper plates inwardly while the resilient means, associated with the telescopic members, hold them retracted and hence hold the wipers in resilient contact with the last.

Another feature of my invention consists in novel means whereby the support for the toe, ends of the wiper plates is mounted for movement longitudinally of the shoe to adjust the wipers to shoes of difierent lengths so as properly to wipe in the extreme toe portion of the upper. By my invention also provision is made for moving the side wiper plates simultaneously inwardly or outwardly over the last edge and for holding them in wiped-in position. The arms above mentioned are connected to a lever by a construction involving pins and inclined slots so that movement of the lever will move the arms and hence the telescopic members and the wipers simultaneously into and out of operative position over the last. The means for holding the wipers in operative position may consist of a detent which will hold the wipers in under ordinary or operative pressure but which will yield under abnormal stress; or means for holding the wipers positively may be provided and if desired such means maybe so constructed as to be capable of applying additional pressure to the wipers.

A further distinctive feature of the invention is the provision of novel means to effect the expansion of the last for applying final lasting tension to the upper while the last is still upon the last pin of the jack.

- For effecting this final lasting operation I provide in the last an internally arranged lever which, when placed in a position perpendicular tothe sole of the last, acts-to raise the instep portion, which is hinged near the toe, into its extreme outward position of expansion and to lock or hold it there. A member is arranged for movement on the last post which is adaptedto engage under the lever when the last is collapsed and, when given movement relatively to the lastpost, to move the lever into its perpendicular" position to expand the last. The movement of the memberis effected by a lever conveniently arranged upon the base ofthe apparatus.

Another important feature of my invention is the positive positioning of the heel portion of the insole upon the last, prior to thelasting operation. A locating meansis provided in the center of the heel portion of the last adapted to engage a hole formed in the eorresponding portlon of the insole. Tl11S1S shown as a projection which is prefintegral. or otherwise], with the iron heel" plate of the last. This stud serves not only as a positioning means for the insole but for the outsole also. i The holes formed in the soles being covered by the heel are not ob.- jectionable and, in case wooden heels are used, may receive the attaching screw fbr the heel.

The toe portion ofa shoe upper is composed of several layers of material between which an adhesive is applied before the lastmg operation. After the upper been formed to its final shape upon the last, the

adhesive sets and the toe is thus made to retain permanently the shapely form given to it by the last. It is customary to allow. the

shoes to remain some time upon the racks after lasting in order to give the adhesive time to set. before the subsequent operations are performed. This procedure necess tates a large number of cumbersome racks in the shoe shop and also occasionsthe loss of time. In order to obviate the necessity of waiting for the adhesive 'to set I nave provided means, which constitutes a feature of my invention, for applying heat to the toe cap during the lasting operation whereby the setting of the adhesive is hastened to such an of the sole positioning means.

extent that the shoe may beco-mpleted without the custornary delay. The meansof applying 'heatto the toe as herein shown, by

way 0f example, comprises an electrical heating unit inserted into the structure of the thereto.

The foregoin and other features of'the invention, inclu in certain combinations of parts and further important details of construction will appear more fully from the" following description of the illustrated apclaims.

The novel method involved in the use of paratus and will then bepointed out in the my improved apparatus is'not claimedherein but is made the subject matter of application Serial No. 658,154, filed concurrently herewith. I

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a 'perspec-. tive view, partly in section, of the preferred form of my apparatus; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a modified form; and Figs. 3 and 4 are sectional details of modifications Referring first to the form shown in Fig. 1, the, numeral 2 indicates the base' upon which the various parts are mounted. A. hollow heel post 4 is'supported on the base an'd'contains a locating member 6, which is mounted for longitudinal movement therein;

Thmmen ber 6 projects at its upper end through a hole in the shouldered thimble of the last and serves to locate the soles, as will hereinafter bemore particularly. referred to. At the lower end of the member'G is a finger piece 10 which serves as means for raising the member. 6 into its operative position in which it is held by a catch 12, which is spring-p fissed to engage under the lpwer .tce rest and provided with suitabl e electrical connections for conveying the current 1 end ofthe member 6 and to hold it in elevated or operative position. When the catch isl-released by pressing in its lower .end the member. 6 is forced downeither' by gravity or by a suitablyarranged spring, not shown.

Just forward of the post 4 is a'bra cing member 14vvhichembraces and helps to support the upper portion of the? last post, In the" forward portion ofthe member-14 are ar ranged slides 16 to which is pivoted at 18 a last expanding member 20, which is adapted 'to engage under a lever 22 pivoted tothe instep'portion' of the last. The expanding member 20 is pivoted to a connecting rod'24 which is operated from a rock-shaft 26 having thereon an arm 28 which is pivoted to the rod 24 and an arm 30 provided With a handle for rocking the shaft 26. As the handle 31" is moved forward the rod 24 moves upwardly and carries with it the'member 20 and the slides 16 until the member 20, by reason of the contour of the bracing member 14, is permitted to swing backward about the pivot 18. This movement carries the end of the member back into a position where I it will engage the rearward end of the lever 22 when, the said lever is in a position substantially parallel with the last bottom as it is when the last is in its contracted position.

By reverse movement of the lever it willbe seen that the member 20 engages under the rearward portion of the lever 22 and forces it forward into the position indicated in Fig. 1 the opposite end of the lever 22 engaging a .plate32 and by reacting thereagainst producing an outward movement of the instep portion of the last which is pivoted'near the toe to expand the same and apply thereto final tension. I

The toe post 40 of the apparatus is supported upon abase 42 which is mounted for sliding" adjustment in the base 2 of the apparatus. This adjustment is accomplished by means of a screw 44 journaled in the base 2and threaded into alug 46 upon th base 42. The screw 44 may be-provided with a slot 48 to be engaged by the pin 50 of a key 52 for turning the screw to adjust the toe post longitudinally of the last. The

. wiper support 60 is pivoted at 62 to the base arranged to be held therein by means of a pin 66 passing through the post and engaging one of a series of holes in the strap 64. The forward end of the strap embraces an eccentric 68 which is pivoted at 70 in lugs 72 projecting forwardly from the wiper support 60. The eccentric 68 is arranged to be rotated by ahandle 74. By this means it will be apparent that the wi' er support can be moved forwardly and ackwardly with respect to the toe of the shoe located upon the toe pad 76 on the toe post 40. Wiping and clamping plates- 80 are pivoted to a plate 82 which is secured tothe wiper support by a screw 84. The wiper plates 80 are shaped to conform to the edge contour of the last and also to the longitudinal curvature of that portion of the margin (if the last along which the welt is attached to the upper. The rear ends of the wiper plates 80 carry turned-down lugs 86 to which are pivotally attached the supports for the rear ends of the wipers. These supports comprise rods 88 pivoted to the lugs 86 and embraced by tubular members 90- pivoted at 92 to a block 94 attached to the wiper support 60. A tension spring 96 attached to the rod 88 and to the member 90 acts to hold the rods 88 retracted within the tubular member 90 and; to apply clampingpressure to the plates 80. Loose sleeves 98 are provided outside of the members 90 and are attached to arms 100 which are pivotally attached at 102 to a pin 54 which st comprises a is rotatably mounted in brackets 56 secured to the wiper support 60, this construction permitting universal movement of the arms 100. At their rearward ends the members 100 are provided with slots and headed pins 116 connect them by the slots to the sleeves 98. The arms 100 are swung simultaneously in and out to give corresponding movements to the wiping and clamping plates 'by means of a lever 104 pivoted at 106' to a member secured to the wiper support 60 and provided with inclined slots 108 which engage pins 110 upon the arms 100. The lever 104 is provided with a han dle 112 and as the handle is swung in and out the slots act upon the pins to correspondingly move the arms 100 and hence the wiper plate supports and wiper plates inand out over the edge of the last. For holding the wiper plates in their operative position over the edge of the last resilient catches 114 are provided which engage behind the arms 100 when the wipers have assumed their extreme inward or operative position and hold them yieldingly in place. As a modified holding means the slots 108 may be extended on arcs concentric with the pivot/106 so that further movements of the lever 104 after the levers have been closed will lock the arms in closed position.

The toe post 76 is shown as provided with an opening in which an electrical or other heating device 77 may be introduced to heat the toe pad for hastening the setting of the adhesive between the layers of the toe tip resting thereon. The heating device may comprise the usual heating resistance coil and is preferably provided with binding posts at its opposite ends towhich are atable source of electrical energy.

In Fig. 2 is shown a somewhat modified apparatus, many parts of which are, however, substantially the same as those already described and have therefore been designated by the same reference characters and will require no further description. In this modified construction, however, the means for adjusting the wiper support relatively to the toe restconsists of a screw 65 provided with a thumb head 75 which is mounted for rotation in the support 60and threaded through the toe phst'40. By this construction rotation of the screw will swing the support 60 about its pivot 62 to adjust {he wipers in and out over the edge of the ast.

In the construction shown in Fig. 2 the wipers are movable independently into position to hold the upper and are held in their closed position by means of a threaded rod 109 mounted for rotation in a block 107, which is pivoted in a bracket 105, the bracket 105 being pivoted in a boss 100 on the arm 1.00. A head 103 is provided for 'tached the wires 79, 81 leading from a suit- I rotating the threaded rod 109- anda nut 11-1 is screwed uponthe' opposite end and is provided with acollar and flattened surfaces for engaging a fork I13 attached to the opposite arm 100. It will be obvious from this construction that rotation of thescrew will tendtodraw the arms 100 to- .gether and force the wiper plates in over the last bottom andlthat the wipers may be released by lifting :the nut 111 out of its fork 113,- which will be permitted by 'a movementof the block 107 in the bracket 105, and that the arms and wiper plates will then be free to move outwardly about the pivots 102 and92. p

In Fig. 3 is shown a modified sole positioning device consisting of a plate 200 which is countersunk into the material of the last in :the heel seat and is provided with a securing screw 202 and 'a' stud 2041: ex-

tending above the plane of the heel seat and adapted to engage a hole formed in the heel portion of the sole."

In Fig. 4 I have shown av still further modification in which the sole. positioning device consists of .a stud 206 extending upwardly from the iron heel plate 208. This stud may :be formed I integrally with the plate 208 or it may be in .the form of a 1 rivet upset in a countersunk hole. in the heel plate, .as shown, its function being the same as that of the forms previously described. a

In the use of my device the insole and The last is then seated upon the last pin 6, the expanding lever 22 .of the last being left in the horizontal position: so -;that the instep portion of the last may move inwardly. The expanding lever :30 is at this time thrown forward so :that the member 204s projected up and backward into the cavity of the last and lies-behind the end of the lever 22. Asl-theqlast is placed upon the last'pin, the memberfiprojects through the last and through a holeformed in vthe heel portion of the insole and positions theinsole with respect tomovement in the plane of the last bottom. The wiper support 60 is now adjusted relatively to the :toe end of the. last so that the wipers will pass in somewhat over the edge of the insole at the toe and the wiper plates are swung in tolast resiliently by .the spri'ns 96, acting upon the telescopic members 88, 90, the upper is firmlyclamped against the last at all portions along the extent of .the'wiper plates.

'If necessary, hand pincers may-be employed wardly and the member-2O actuated to force the expanding lever 22 into a position perpendicular to the last bottom, which forces thia instep portion of the last away from the so e. tension those parts of the upper where undesirable fullness is likely to occur and to draw back the upper slightly over the last, and causes the wiper plates to fit snugly into thewelt crease. The heel seat may be lasted either before or after the above operations. During the above operations the toe tip is being subjected to the action of the heated toe rest and by the time they are. completed the adhesive is sufiiciently set so that the shoe may be finished without delay. e

The inseam may now be trimmed, a filling of felt or cork composition placed in the space inclosed by the inseam, cement applied to the outer surface of the welt, and the outsole positioned upon the shoe. The positioning of the outsole is facilitated by forming therein a hole corresponding to the This expanding of the last acts to .hole in the insole which will be fitted over in contact with the sides vof the shoe. After the cement hasset sufficiently to hold the outsole in place, the wiper plates may be opened and the welt and outsole may be stitched together by the usual outsole stitching machine. The heel may then be attached and the shoe finished in the usual manner.

Ha ing described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A lasting apparatus having, in combination, a support for an assembled'shoe, and clamping means arranged to hold an unwelted upper in pulled-over position including a clamping member arranged tobe actuated over the shoe bottom at the toe into holding relation with the upper after the upper has been pulled-lengthwise, and continuous side members pivoted to said clamping member and arranged to be actuated subsequently over the shoe edge at the ball of the shoev to secure the upper in transversely stretched condition.

2. A lasting apparatus having, in combination, a support for an assembled shoe, and clamping means arranged to hold an unwelted uppr in pulled-over position, comprising a toe clamp arranged to be actuated lengthwise of the shoe at the end of the toe into holding relation with the upper upon the toe end of the shoe bottom, and side clamps pivotally connected with the toe clamp and adapted to swing inwardly over the sides of the'shoe bottom to position-for holding the corners of the toe and sides of the upper in transversely stretched condition.

3. A lasting apparatus having, in combination, a support for an assembled shoe, and clamping means arranged to hold the upper in pulled-over position, including members adapted to be held down against the shoe bottom and between which and the insole or last bottom the upper may be pulled or tightened over the last and then automatically held by said clamping members, and resilient means for holding said members, down against the upper.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a heel pin, a, toe rest, a wiper support, wipers pivoted thereto and extending to the shank, and resilient means for depressing the shank ends of the wipers. j 5. A device of the class described, hav ing in combination, a jack for supporting the'heel and toe portions of a last, a wiper support arranged for adjustment to and from the toe rest, wiper plates pivoted to said support, bent to conform to the spring of the last and extending to the shank portion thereof, and resilient means for depressing the shank portion of the wiper plates.

6. A device of the class described, having in combination, a jack for supporting the heel and toe portions of a last, a wiper sup port arranged for adjustment to and from the toe rest, wiper plates pivoted to said support, bent to conform to the spring of the last and extending to the shank portion thereof, and means for heating the toe rest during the lasting operation to set the adhesive between'the layers of toe tip material said heating means being located within the rest.

7. A device of the class described, having in combination, a jack for supporting the heel and toe portions of a last, a wiper support arranged for adjustment to and from the toe rest, wiper plates pivoted. to said support and bent to conform to the spring of the last and extending to the shank portion thereof, and resiliently con tracted, telescopic means connecting the shank portion of said wiper plates with the wipersupport.

8. A device of the class described, having" in combination, a jack for supporting the heel and toe portions of a last, a wiper support arranged for adjustment to and from the toe rest, wiper plates pivoted to said support and bent to conform to the spring of the last and-extending to the-shank portion thereof, means for resiliently depressing the shank portion of the wiper plates,

contractile members pivoted to said supportand to the shank portion of said plates,

and means for swinging said members and platestoward. and from the last. 9. A device of the class described, having in combination, a jack for supporting the heel and toe portions of a last, a wipersupport arranged for adjustment to and from the toe rest, wiper plates pivoted to said support and bent-to conform to the spring of the last and extending to the shank portion thereof, means for depressing the shank portion of the wiper plates, contractile members pivoted to said support and to the shank portion of said plates, and means for simultaneously swinging said members and plates toward and from the last.

g 10. A device of the class described, having in combination, means. for supporting the shoe, a wiper support adjacent to the toe of the shoe, resilient wiper plates pivoted to said support and conforming s1ibstan-4 tial'ly to the peripheral contour of the last and to the spring thereof, said plateshbeing adapted to wipe in over the edge of the last to a substantially. uniform distance from said edge, the inner edgeof said plates serving as a guide along which a' welt maybe attached to the free margin of the overlasted upper.

11. A device of the class described, having in combination, meansfor, supporting a last at the heel and't'oe, a wiper support arranged adjacent to the toe support, narrow resilient lasting plates pivoted to said support and extending about the periphery ofthe forward portion ofthe shoe to the shank, telescopic members connecting the rear ends of said. plates with said support, and means for resiliently contracting'said members to hold the plates against the last.

12. A device of the class described, having in combination, means for supporting a last at the heel and toe, a' wiper support arranged adjacent to thetoe support, narrow resilient lasting plates pivoted to said support and extending about the periphery of the forward portion of the shoe to' the shank,

telescopic members connecting the rear ends ofrsaid plates with said support, means for resiliently contracting said members to hold the plates against the last, sleeves embracing said telescopic members, arms connected at one end'to said sleeves andhaving universal connection at the other end with said wiper support, and means adapted to engage said arms and hold the lasting plates in operative position over the bottom of the last.

13. A device of the class described, hav ing in combination, means for supporting a last at the heel and toe, a Wiper support arranged adjacent to the toe support, narrow resilient lasting plates pivoted to said support and extending about the periphery of the forward portion of the shoe to the shank, telescopic members connecting the rear ends of said plates with said support, means for resiliently contracting said members to hold the plates against the last, sleeves embracing said telescopic members, arms connected at one end to said sleeves and having universal connection at the other end with said Wiper support, and means for simultaneously moving the sleeve engaging ends of said arms toward each other to carry the Wipers in over the last bottom.

14. In an apparatus of the class described, a heel pin,'a rod mounted for longitudinal movement in said heel pin and adapted to project beyond the end thereof and through .a hole in the last, and a latch for. holding said rod in projected position.

15. An apparatus of the class described, comprising in combination, a heel post and toe rest adapted to sustain a collapsible last,

" said last having a lever arranged to hold the same in extended position when located at right angles to the sole of the last, a slide on the heel post, a member pivotedto said slide and adapted to swing rearwardly and engage behind the lever when the slide is raised and to swing the lever into a position perpendicularto the last bottom when the slide iidlowered, and means for operating the s 1 e.

16. A lasting apparatus, having in com- .bination, lasting means, a last spindle, means extending upwardly through the spindle and the last and arranged for operation to ens gage and disengage the insole and means for holding said engagingmeans out of operative position.

bination of means'for tensioning an upper 17. A lasting apparatus, having in combination, lasting means, a shouldered thimble in the last, a hollow heel spindle cooperating with said thimble to sustain the last, a plunger movable in said spindle, and means forv .actuating the plunger to engage and'disengage the insole.

18. Ina shoe lasting apparatus, the comabout a last with means for securing the upper in place without penetrating the upper, means for locating a welt seam at a substantially uniform distance from the last edge,- an expansible last, a last pin for supporting the last, and means for expanding the lastwhile on said pin for applying final to the lastbottom.

tension to the upper while it is still secured 19. A lasting apparatus, comprising in combination, means, for initially tensioning an upper about a lastand temporarily secur ing the same thereto by clamping pressure, said means also serving to locate a line for the welt seam at a substantially uniform distance from the last edge, an expansible last, a hand lever, and connections between the lever and the last for expanding the instep portion of the last by amounts @which progressively increase from the toe toward the ankle.

'20. lasting apparatus, comprising in combination, means for initially tensioning an upper about a last and temporarily securing the same thereto by clamping pressure, and means adapted to be actuated at the will of the operator while said tensioning means is in operative position for applying a substantially uniform final tension to the upperportion which is under initial tension. Y

21. A lasting apparatus, comprising a last having instep dimensions less than those required in the finished shoe, means for lastnation, lasting means operating to hold over the last bottom continuous sections of upper extending along the sides of the shoe from the toe to the shank, and other lasting means adapted for actuation subsequently to act upon the instepportion of the upper between said holding means to finally stretch and shape the instepportion of the upper.

last bottom the continuous upper margin I from the shank on one side about the toe to the shank on the other side, and means to apply final lasting tension to the upper in opposition to the. clamping means.

24. A lasting apparatus, having in combination, means to wipe in and clamp to the last bottom the continuous upper margin from the shank on one side about the toe to the shank on the other side, and means to apply a further tension to the upper of substantially uniform intensity to bring the upper into final lasted condition and conformity to the last.

25. A lasting apparatus, having in combination, means to wipe in and clamp the upper margin to the last bottom upon a continuous zone of pressure extending about the outer edge of the forward portion of the last bottom frofn heel seat toheel seat, and means for applying to the pper so held under preliminary tension a a1 tension.

' 26'. A lasting apparatus, having in combi- 105 23. A lasting apparatus, having in combination, means to wipe in and clamp to the bottom from heel seat to heel seat, and means nation, means to Wipe in and clamp the ln'otestimo'ny whereof I have signed my upper margin to the last bottom upon a 'conname to this specification'in the presence of ll tinuous zone of pressure extending about the two subscribing witnesses. outer edge of the forward nortion of. the last JOHN A ELDRIDGE for applying to the upper so held under pre- Witnesses: liminary tension a. substantially uniform final CHARLES A. L. TREADWELL, tension. FORREST L. MARSH. 

